New Society Institute (NSI)

Published purpose

Through this 33-month project, New Society Institute (NSI) will help advance women’s economic security and prosperity by addressing systemic barriers to employment for Indigenous, Black, racialized, non-status-refugee women and gender diverse d/Deaf and disabled people, with a focus on intellectual and mental health disabilities, in Winnipeg, Vancouver, Montréal, Toronto, St. John's, and Iqaluit. To do so, IRIS will carry out a literature review and an environmental scan, and hold Listening and Learning Circles to understand the gender-based intersectional barriers and conditions that prevent affected communities from acquiring and maintaining employment, and to identify solutions. Videos and tools will be developed for knowledge-sharing workshops with federally regulated organizations (FROs) and affected populations to foster the implementation of strategies enabling safe and discrimination-free working environments and the use of The Accessibility Exchange (TAE). TAE is a virtual platform offering the opportunity for people with disabilities and d/Deaf people to be hired and paid as consultants by FROs to contribute their expertise in development of accessibility plans and adjustments to hiring practices, as mandated by the Accessible Canada Act. An external evaluator will measure and assess the impact of the systemic change project with a decolonial, Indigenous and anti-racist lens, and the evaluation results will feed the development of a sustainability plan.